The Hot Yam! is the University of Toronto's all-volunteer lunch party! Once a week we cook up a delicious, mostly local, mostly organic and entirely
vegan lunch all for a measly $4. We serve lunches from 12-2pm, every Thursday at the International Student Centre (33 St. George St). To find out more about
what we do, join our mailing list, or to volunteer (yes please!), come visit us or send love notes to hottestyam@gmail.com.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Don't forget to submit your application for a Hot Yam! planning position! We've extended the deadline to the end of the day next Wednesday (September 1st).

You may have noticed that a few of the positions require more time than the others. Because of this and because they are so essential for the Yam! to run, the following positions come with an honorarium!

- The Volunteer Co-ordinator - The Meal Lead Co-ordinator - The Treasurer - The Kitchen Manager - The University Liaison - The Secretary

Friday, August 13, 2010

Already starting to miss Hot Yam! due to our long hiatus? Well, here's your change to get some more Yam! in your life!

The academic year is quickly approaching and to make sure that Hot Yam! continues running smoothly, we need your help. There are several roles that Hot Yam! needs to function, and we are recruiting people to fill those roles. The most important roles that we have available are:

- The Volunteer Co-ordinator - The Meal Lead Co-ordinator - The Treasurer - The Kitchen Manager - The University Liaison - The Secretary

Descriptions of these roles, along with all of the others that we have available can be found at http://tiny.cc/6xfbc

This is a great opportunity to get involved with Hot Yam! Whether you're a young yamling or an old salt of a yam, a great experience awaits you.

Keep in mind that this is a serious commitment that begins at the beginning of the fall term, and will last throughout the fall and winter academic terms (from September 13th, 2010 to April 29th, 2011).

Whether you apply for position or not (but you should), send an email to hottestyam@gmail.com to join the planning list (everyone welcome).

Add tomatoes and fry for another 10 minutes at medium low heat, stirring and mashing tomatoes.

Add ground coriander, cumin, fenugreek and cinnamon, and stir and fry for about 30 seconds. ***careful! This is where it will start to stick, keep the heat low and stir like crazy.

Add the chickpeas and 1½ cups of the cooking liquid, and simmer gently for ~20 min (make sure the chickpeas are really soft and delicious. If they are even a little bit crunchy, just keep them going. The more simmering the more delicious they will be. But don't let them fall apart. ***be even more careful! This is where it will want to burn. Don't let it!

Sift together the rest of the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a very large mixing bowl, cream the rest of the Earth Balance with the rest of the sugar. Alternate adding flour and milk, mixing only enough to combine. Fold in the flaxseed mixture, and then the fruit.

Spread the batter into the pans, and cover with crumbly topping.

Bake about 35 minutes or until done.

June 10, 2010

Quinoa Soup with Vegetables and Charmoula sauceQuinoa was used in place of Couscous for this recipe. Feel free to experiment with different grains.8 servings

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp hot red pepper flakes

1 cup quinoa

1 leek, trimmed and diced

1 carrot, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 cup diced sweet potato

8 cups vegetable stock

2 cups peas, fresh or frozen

Charmoula sauce (recipe follows)

Soak and rinse the quinoa for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add paprika, cumin and hot pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add quinoa and stir to coat well. Do not let it toast for too long.

Add leek, carrot, zucchini, red pepper, sweet potato and stock. Bring to boil. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until quinoa is almost tender.

Add peas. Heat thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl spoonfuls of Charmoula into each serving.

Blend tofu, lemon juice, garlic, oil and spices together in a blender, or with an immersion blender in a container.

Place diced cucumber in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Add to sauce along with the parsley. Pulse the blender several times to incorporate. Refrigerate until needed.

Falafel Patties

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained

2 gloves garlic

½ small onion

3 tablespoons sesame tahini

½ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

¼ cup quinoa flour, plus more if needed

1 tsp sea salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

olive oil for brushing on patties

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Process until smooth and there are no large pieces remaining. Using hands, roll into golf-ball sized pieces. If mixture is too dry, add a bit of oil; if it's too wet, add a bit more quinoa flour. Flatten into patties, and lightly brush both sides with a bit of olive oil.

Arrange falafels on a baking sheet. Oven temperatures will vary, cook for roughly 15-20 minutes, then flip the patties and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Each side should be slightly browned and crispy.

Alternatively, you may pan fry the patties on high-heat, and cook each side until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate with paper towel on it.

Cover and cook, stirring, until the bell pepper has softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the couscous to coat with the oil.

Stir in the water, cover, and let stand for five minutes.

Stir in the beans and cook until hot, about five minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Serve hot.

Turkish Tomato Salad

2 large tomatoes (or 4 medium), chopped

½ large cucumber, peeled and diced

½ yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Spicy V-8 (or tomato juice)

generous grating black pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cumin

salt to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Serve immediately or chill for an hour.

Try it in a pita with hummus or on top of a green salad.

Chai Latte Cupcakes

1 cup soy or rice milk

4 black teabags or 2 tablespoons loose black tea

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

pinch of ground white or black pepper

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 and line tin with cupcake liners. In a small saucepan heat soy milk till almost boiling, add tea bags, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.When ready to use stir teabags and thoroughly squeeze to insure as much tea is dissolved in milk as possible.

ginger, cloves, and pepper into wet ingredients. Mix until large lumps disappear; some small lumps are okay. Fill tins full and bake about 20 to 22 minutes until a sharp knife inserted comes out clean.

Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before adding topping, or the sugar will melt.

To assemble, sift confectioners sugar over cooled cupcakes first, then mix cinnamon and nutmeg together and sift onto each cupcake.